The legendary bassist is releasing a new memoir titled Acid For The Children. The twist is that it says nothing about the Red Hot Chilli Peppers (RHCP) and his long and prosperous career with the band.
Flea announced that he was releasing a memoir back in 2014. This week (November 5), the book was finally released, only it was not what fans expected. Instead of sharing what it was like to be in one of the world’s most popular alternative rock bands, Flea delved into the details of his childhood and his struggles with addiction.
Flea, real name Michael Balzary, has now revealed why he only introduced RHCP to the story right at the very end of his memoir. In a nutshell, it’s because he wanted a challenge.
“I thought if I wrote a book about the Chili Peppers, it’d be like cheating,” Flea told BBC News. “But if I could write a book about my childhood that could exist on its own merits, without the band, then I deserved to write a book. That was the challenge I set for myself.”
When he did speak about RHCP, he spoke not about their worldwide success, but about what it was like in the early days.
He recalled: “When we started the band, everything was about what was funny to us. We really loved this song, so we came up with a dance routine in our living room, going, ‘This would be so fun!’”
Acid For The Children is out now.
